Nepal's ruling party dumps ally, forms new coalition

Nepal's ruling Maoist Centre party ended its year-long partnership with a key ally on Monday and joined hands with two key opposition parties to form a new coalition, dumping the centrist Nepali Congress Party, the largest group in parliament.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal named a three-member Cabinet without any portfolio, including one minister each from the new coalition partners -- the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) -- and the third from his Maoist Centre party, the third largest group in the 275-member House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament, local English daily The Himalayan Times reported.

The RSP, the fourth largest party in parliament, quit the Dhal-led coalition in February last year over a rift concerning the home minster's portfolio.

The reunion of the divided Communist Party of Nepal brought back the rule of leftists to the Himalayan nation after Dhal, a former Maoist guerrilla leader, was elected prime minister in February 2023.

He formed a coalition Cabinet including the Nepali Congress Party and other smaller groups.

Dhal had criticized the Nepali Congress Party for not “cooperating” with him, mainly on the proposed removal of some ministers, including Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, who is from the Nepali Congress, with whom he was not satisfied.

Bishwa Prakash Sharma, general secretary of the Nepali Congress, said the prime minister himself had broken up the coalition with his party.

Sandwiched between regional heavyweights India and China, the Himalayan country has had 13 governments since it abolished its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008 and became a republic.